My name is Jonathan Montanaro, I grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island and graduated from Cranston High School West in 2006. I am a student at the University of Rhode Island studying for a B.S. in Secondary Education, a B.A. in both Biology and General Science, and a minor in Business. I love to be outdoors, whether hiking, going to the beach, or even taking my dog for a walk. I also love sports, especially tennis and football. When I'm not playing them I'm watching them, avidly following the Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox. I also really like to learn new things in the world of science. Whenever I get a chance, I like to learn interesting things about animals and their behaviors through articles and shows on science television channels. It is this love and interest for science as well as my desire to help and teach children that inspired me to be a teacher.
Earthquakes Unit Plan
In this unit, students will learn the catastrophic effects of earthquakes through a variety of activities and exploration. The students will begin by creating a list of their prior knowledge, which at the end of the unit will be compared to what they learned so students can see exactly how much they learned. Also on the first day, students will have the opportunity of seeing the devastating effects of earthquakes first hand through a NOVA video that will be shown. The video compares the effects earthquakes had in Kobe, Japan and California and the devastation to both property and life they caused. It's a good introductory because giving students the chance to see first hand the effects of these catastrophic events captivates their attention, and will likely motivate them to learn more about how they work throughout the unit. On the second and third day, students will conduct inquiry labs using a slinky, a stopwatch, and a roll of tape. The students will first be asked to decide whether or not the tools given to them can be used as an appropriate model of primary and secondary waves. Once they've proved they can, they'll be asked to develop some questions that we might be able to test using these tools, leading specifically to the questions of "Which wave moves the fastest?" and "Which wave would cause more damage to a house on the surface?" Students will then devise their own way of conducting this experiment, and as a class we will choose which method would best test to answer these questions. Students will then conduct the experiment, and then write a lab report expressing their results. This gives the students an opportunity to discover their own learning through inquiry, and also gives them the opportunity of practicing scientific methods while presenting their results in an appropriate manner. In the fourth lesson, as a class will first use an interactive online resource to demonstrate the effects soil a building is built on has on the surface, followed by the students designing their own building making it as earthquake resistant as possible. Students will sketch a model of this building, and write an explanation stating why they chose certain features and any modifications they've made to the inside of the building. In the remainder of this lesson students will learn about how earthquakes are recorded and the two measurement scales used to determine the intensity of an earthquake. In the fifth lesson, students will first learn how to find the epicenter of an earthquake using a scale and compass with 3 stations, and then use an online resource to plot earthquakes of 5.0 or higher magnitude in the past 7 days on a map. After doing this, students will compare their maps to a map showing the plates of the earth and students will see comparisons between where the earthquakes occur and where the plate boundaries are located. Lastly, we'll make a new sheet showing what learned about earthquakes that they didn't know before the unit which will serve as a review, and the test will be given on the following class.
Principal: Mr. Michael J. Hobin
Science Dept. Head: Mrs. Kathleen Sullivan
Office secretary(s):
Custodian(s):
Who do you call when sick or dying?
What are the phone numbers?
Phone- (401) 822-9499
Fax- (401) 822-9492
Cooperating Teacher: Mr. Steven Lukowicz
Principal: Mr. Mark A. Thompson
Sci Dept Head:
Office secretary(s): Ms. Kathleen Hawley and Ms. Mary Richard
Who do you call when sick or dying?
What are the phone numbers?
Phone: 401-397-6898
Fax: 401-392-0109
Cooperating Teacher: Mrs. Beth Brocato
Jonathan Montanaro
My name is Jonathan Montanaro, I grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island and graduated from Cranston High School West in 2006. I am a student at the University of Rhode Island studying for a B.S. in Secondary Education, a B.A. in both Biology and General Science, and a minor in Business. I love to be outdoors, whether hiking, going to the beach, or even taking my dog for a walk. I also love sports, especially tennis and football. When I'm not playing them I'm watching them, avidly following the Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox. I also really like to learn new things in the world of science. Whenever I get a chance, I like to learn interesting things about animals and their behaviors through articles and shows on science television channels. It is this love and interest for science as well as my desire to help and teach children that inspired me to be a teacher.
Teaching Portfolio
Teaching Philosophy - JonMEarthquakes Unit Plan
In this unit, students will learn the catastrophic effects of earthquakes through a variety of activities and exploration. The students will begin by creating a list of their prior knowledge, which at the end of the unit will be compared to what they learned so students can see exactly how much they learned. Also on the first day, students will have the opportunity of seeing the devastating effects of earthquakes first hand through a NOVA video that will be shown. The video compares the effects earthquakes had in Kobe, Japan and California and the devastation to both property and life they caused. It's a good introductory because giving students the chance to see first hand the effects of these catastrophic events captivates their attention, and will likely motivate them to learn more about how they work throughout the unit. On the second and third day, students will conduct inquiry labs using a slinky, a stopwatch, and a roll of tape. The students will first be asked to decide whether or not the tools given to them can be used as an appropriate model of primary and secondary waves. Once they've proved they can, they'll be asked to develop some questions that we might be able to test using these tools, leading specifically to the questions of "Which wave moves the fastest?" and "Which wave would cause more damage to a house on the surface?" Students will then devise their own way of conducting this experiment, and as a class we will choose which method would best test to answer these questions. Students will then conduct the experiment, and then write a lab report expressing their results. This gives the students an opportunity to discover their own learning through inquiry, and also gives them the opportunity of practicing scientific methods while presenting their results in an appropriate manner. In the fourth lesson, as a class will first use an interactive online resource to demonstrate the effects soil a building is built on has on the surface, followed by the students designing their own building making it as earthquake resistant as possible. Students will sketch a model of this building, and write an explanation stating why they chose certain features and any modifications they've made to the inside of the building. In the remainder of this lesson students will learn about how earthquakes are recorded and the two measurement scales used to determine the intensity of an earthquake. In the fifth lesson, students will first learn how to find the epicenter of an earthquake using a scale and compass with 3 stations, and then use an online resource to plot earthquakes of 5.0 or higher magnitude in the past 7 days on a map. After doing this, students will compare their maps to a map showing the plates of the earth and students will see comparisons between where the earthquakes occur and where the plate boundaries are located. Lastly, we'll make a new sheet showing what learned about earthquakes that they didn't know before the unit which will serve as a review, and the test will be given on the following class.
Student Teaching Information
A. First Student Teaching Placement
School: Coventry High SchoolAddress: 40 Reservoir Road Coventry, RI 02816-6457
Principal: Mr. Michael J. Hobin
Science Dept. Head: Mrs. Kathleen Sullivan
Office secretary(s):
Custodian(s):
Who do you call when sick or dying?
What are the phone numbers?
Phone- (401) 822-9499
Fax- (401) 822-9492
Cooperating Teacher: Mr. Steven Lukowicz
B. Second Student Teaching Placement
School: Exeter West Greenwich Junior HighAddress: 930 Nooseneck Hill Rd West Greenwich, RI 02817
Principal: Mr. Mark A. Thompson
Sci Dept Head:
Office secretary(s): Ms. Kathleen Hawley and Ms. Mary Richard
Who do you call when sick or dying?
What are the phone numbers?
Phone: 401-397-6898
Fax: 401-392-0109
Cooperating Teacher: Mrs. Beth Brocato
Observations and Reflections
1. Opening Routines
2. Observing Students
3. Teaching Styles
4. Be Quiet! I'm Trying to Teach!
5. The Game of School